Device for cutting register slits or openings in printed sheets.



No. 679,219. Patented July 23, I90I.

T. B. DEXTER. DEVICE FoR cu'rrma REGISTER sLns 0R OPENINGS m PRINTED SHEETS. (Application filed Mar. 31, 1900.) (No Model.)

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No. 679,2l9.

Patented lllllylli, I90]. T. C. DEXTER. DEVICE FOR CUTTING REGISTER SLITS 0B OPENINGS IN PRINTED SHEETS.

(Application filed Mar. a1, 1900. (No Model.) 7 w z Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcEm TALBOT O. DEXTER, OE PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE AND NEW YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE EOR CUTTING REGISTER SLITS 0R OPENINGS IN PRINTED SHEETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,219, dated July 23, 1901. Application filed March 31,1900. Serial No. 10,921. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TALBOT C. DEXTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pearl River, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Cutting Register Slits or Openings in Printed Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

In folding printed sheets in the ordinary folding-machines now employed it is a common practice to register the sheets laterally and longitudinally in the machine before the folding operation by means of automaticallycontrolled pointing instruments, and for this purpose it is necessary to slit or perforate the printed sheets at proper points for the engagement of the point -registering instruments. These point holes or slits are formed in the sheets by devices locked up in the printing-form and arranged to operate simultaneously with the printing operation.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and effective instrument adapted to be locked up in the printing-form to cut register slits or openings in the sheets while they are being printed, which devices will be capable of adjustment in height with relation to the form in which they are locked and which can be readily removed from their supporting-blocks without disturbing the form. The register slits or openings in the sheets are used for automatically pointing (registering with points) the sheets in folding-machines.

To this end my invention comprises a cutting-tool and a suitable block or body portion, preferably of rectangular shape and of suitable size to be conveniently embodied in the printing-form, said block or body portion being formed with yielding side walls and a socket or recess formed between the yielding side Walls for the reception of the shank or stem of the cutting-tool, which is removably supported therein. The cutting-tool comprises a stem or shank, preferably of cylindrical form, a sheet-cutting blade attached to one end and extending transversely of the shank or stem, and a screw threaded into the opposite end of the stem or shank and capable of being projected more or less beyond the end I of said stem or shank to engage the bottom wall of the receiving socket or recess in the body portion or block and support the sheetcutting knife at the desired height with relation to the printing-form. The cutting-blade projects laterally beyond the sides of its stem or shank to form wings or flanges which are adapted to be seated in either the longitudinal or the transverse groove formed in the upper edge of the block or body portion. The cutting-tool formed in this way is adapted to be arranged longitudinally or transversely in the printing-form for the purpose of forming slits or openings in the sheets longitudinally or transversely of the sheets. The stem or shank of the cutting-tool fits loosely in the recess or socket of the body portion or block, but when said body portion or block is locked up in the printing-form its yielding side walls will be pressed inwardly upon the cutting-tool to hold it rigidly in its socket. When the blocks or body portions are locked up in the printing-form, they become a part of the furniture of the form for holding the form together, and they cannot be removed without unlocking the form, which, owing to the springing of the case, would be liable to disarrange the form. It therefore becomes necessary to provide some means for separating or expanding the side walls of the body portion or block to allow for the removal of the cutting-tools without disturbing the form. For this purpose I arrange one or more expanding-screws in the body portion or block, said screws being formed with conical heads, which are adapted to be seated in corresponding recesses formed in the adjacent faces of the yielding side walls of the body portion or block. By screwing said screwsinwardly the side walls of the block are forced apart 7 to release the shank or stem of the cuttingtool to allow it to be removed for the purpose of adjusting its height or changing its position in the form.

The form of the sheet-slitting device which I have just described is designed for use in the flat form, such as is employed in a fiatbed press, but it will be clear that by chang ing the shape of the cutting-blade the device constructed upon the same plan may be employed in cylindrical forms which are used in rotary presses,

In using my improved sheet-slitting device in a printing-press it is necessary to providev raised portions on the impression-cylinder of the press to force the sheet slightly below the plane of the printing-form into engagement with the cutting-blades. This is necessary because the cutting-blades must be arranged slightly below the plane of the printing-form, so as to prevent the composition form-inking rollers from coming in contact with the cutters, which would be liable to damage the rollers. For this purpose I employ what I term metallic overlays, consisting of small squares of sheet metal, preferably brass, riveted to tapes which are adapted to be glued to the surface of the impression-cylinder in position to coincide with the margins of the printing-form and present the metallic plates to the cutting-blades.

The importance of my invention is due mainly to the convenience of removing the cutting instruments from their supportingblocks without disturbing the form into which they have been locked. This enables the adjustment of the cutting-blade with relation to the plane of the surface of the form to regulate its pressure against the sheet and also the change of the position of the blade in the form or the removal of the cutter from its block.

The removable feature of the cutting-tools is of particular importance with the class of work known in the printing-office as run and turn, (the plan upon which a great deal of work is now printed,) in which the same durable sheets are often fed through the printing-press two diiferent times to the same double form for printing the opposite sides of the sheets, the slit-cutting instruments being present in the form when the sheets are passed through for the first time and removed from the form when the sheets are passed through the press the second time, because the necessary registry-slits can usually be made during the first printing operation.

In order that myinvention may be fully understood, I Will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and will afterward point out the novelty with more particularity in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of parts of a flat-bed printing-press, showing myimproved registryslitting devices in position in the form and the overlays on the impression-cylinder. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of one of the slit-- ting devices and a part of the impression-cylinder of the press with a metallic overlay supported in operative relation to the blade of the slitting device. Fig. 3 is a plan view of my improved slitting device. Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on the line A A of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail tranvers sectional view of the same, taken on the lineB B ot-Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of one-of the metallic overlays for the impression-cylinder of the press. Fig.-.7 is a diagrammatic view of a printingform of thirty-two pages, representing my improved registry-slitting devices arranged in proper position in the form for forming the necessary slits for registering the printed sheets in a folding-machine.

In Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the impression-cylinder of a flatbed printing-press, 2 the reciprocating bed carrying the printing-form 3, and 4 the inking-rollers. v

5 indicates the point-slitting devices in the form 3.

6 represents the metallic overlays upon the impression-cylinder 1.

Each of the point-slitting devices 5 is constructed as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings, and I will now describe this construction in detail.

10 is a rectangular block or body portion of my improved slitting device, which block is preferably formed of brass with a deep longitudinal kerf or groove 11 cut centrally into it from its upper edge nearly to its lower edge and extending from end to end of the block. The result of so grooving the block 10 is to form a supporting body portion for the slitting device with yielding side walls 10 and 10 joined to the integral bottom portion 10 for the purpose which which will presently appear. The upper edge of the supportingblock 10 is also formed with a central transverse groove 12,which extends at right angles to the longitudinal kerf or groove 11.

13 is a central socket or recess formed between the yielding side walls 10 and 10 of the block at the junction of the grooves 11 and 12, one portion of said groove or recess being formed in the wall 10*, while the corresponding portion of the groove is formed in the wall 10".

'14 and 15 are threaded openings formed with flaring upper ends 14: and 15.

5 is the cutting-blade, which is mounted upon the upper end of a cylindrical stem or shank 5 the blade extending transversely of its shank, with its ends projecting at opposite sides to form wings or lugs 7. In the opposite end of the shank or stem 5 is a threaded opening 8, in which is seated an adjustable screw 9 for the purpose presently to be explained. The shank or stem 5 of the cutting device is adapted to fit snugly in the central socket or recess 13 of its supportingblock, the wings '7 of the blade resting in the longitudinal groove 11 or the transverse groove 12, according to the desired position of the blade in the printing-form. The adjustable screw 9, projecting from the lower end of the shank 5, rests upon the bottom wall 10 of the block or body portion 10 and supports the slitting-knife 5 at the de- IIO sired height in the block with relation to the printing-form. By moving the screw 9 inwardly or outwardly in the shank or stem it will be seen that the height of the cuttingblade 5 in its supporting-block can be regulated.

When the cutting device, as just described, is locked into the printing-form, it will be clear that the block 10 will constitute a part of the furniture of the form, and when the form is securely locked in its frame the pres- I sure against the yielding side walls of the block 10 will press them inwardly tightly against the shank or stem 5 of the cutting device, tending to hold the cutting device rigidly in position. For reasons above explained it is very undesirable to disturb the printing-form after it has once been locked up in the chase of the printing-press, and it is therefore very essential that means be provided for removing the cutting-tool from its supporting-block for the purpose of adjusting its height or its position in the form or for printing without the cutting devices. For this purpose I employ the screws 16 and 17, which are threaded into the screw-openings 14 and 15, respectively, and are formed with flaring or conical heads 16 and 17 The flaring heads of the screws rest in the flaring sockets 14 and 15, and when the screws are forced downwardly in the threaded openings they will tend to wedge apart the side walls 10 and 10 by their engagement with said sockets formed on the inner faces of the yielding side walls, and this action will relieve the stem or shank of the cutting-tool from the pressure of the side walls, so that it may be easily removed foradjusting its height or changing its position.

When the cutting devices are locked up in the printingform, they are placed, as usual, in the margins or blank spaces of the forms separating the blocks of printing matter, and it is essential that the cutting-blades 5 shall rest a trifle beneath the printing-surface of the form, so as to avoid the possibility of the form-inking rollers coming in contact with the cutting-blades. The blades being therefore below the surfaceof the printing-form it becomes necessary to provide means upon the impression-cylinder of the press for forcing the margins of the printed sheets into intimate engagement with the blades, so as to insure the slitting of the sheets. This has usually been accomplished by pasting small squares of cardboard or sheet-brass upon the impression-cylinder in proper position to engage the sheet above the cutting-blades, the squares of brass being usually secured by pasting over them onto the impression-cylinder pieces of cambric or light cotton material.

I prefer to employ metallic overlays such as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings and consisting of small squares of sheet-brass 6, riveted to tapes 21. In applying this overlay to theimpression-cylinder the tape 21 is glued to the impression-surface of the cylinder in position to coincide with one of the margins of the printed form and to present the overlay 6 accurately to the cutting-blade 5.

By referring to Fig. 7 of the drawings it will be observed that I have represented, diagrammatically, a printing-form of thirty-two pages with three of my improved point-slitcutting devices locked in proper position therein. The slitting devices are arranged in position to cut the proper point-slits for registering the sheets in a quadruple sixteenpage-signature-folding machine. The form represented consists of thirty-two pages, with the point-slit-c uttin g devices locked in proper position therein. The sheets are first passed through the press to present them to this form to print one side of the sheets and cut the register-slits and afterward passed through the press a second time to present them to a second form having the same number of pages, but without the point-slit-cutting devices, to print the opposite side of the sheets. In printing from a double form containing the opposite pages arranged side by side the double sheets are fed through the press to the same form two different times on the run-and-turn plan, the slit-cutting blades being removed from the form before the second printing operation.

Having thus fully described my invention, the following is What I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting block or body formed with a recess or socket in it and adapted to be locked in a printing-form, with a cutting-blade removably mounted in the recess or socket of the said supporting block or body and adapted to be secured in different angular positions therein, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting block or body formed with grooves in its upper face extending at an angle to each other, with a cuttingblade removably mounted in said supportingbody and adapted to be placed in engagement with either of said grooves of the supportingbody, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting block or body formed with a recess or socket and grooves extending from said recess or socket at an angle to each other, with a cutting-blade mounted upon a stem or shank and having its ends projecting beyond its stem or shank, the said stem or shank resting in the recess or socket and the projecting ends engaging one of said grooves, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4:. A device of the character described, comprising a stem or shank, a cutting-blade secured to the stem or shank so as to extend transversely thereto, and having its ends projecting beyond the stem or shank to form wings, and a supporting block or body formed with a socket for the reception of the shank or stem and grooves or notches for the reception of said wings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A device of the character described, comprising a stem or shank, a cutting-blade secured to the stem or shank at one end, a supporting block or body formed with a socket or recess for the reception of the stem or shank, and an adjustable screw threaded into the opposite end of the stem or shank and adapted to rest upon the bottom of the socket or recess for supporting the cutting-blade at the desired height, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination-of a supporting block or body formed with yielding side walls and adapted to be locked up in a printing-form, with a cutting-tool adapted to be mounted between said yielding side walls of the supportingbody, whereby it will be firmly held therein when the side walls are compressed in a printing-form, and means for expanding or separating said side walls to release the cutting-tool, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting block or body formed with yielding side walls and adapted said supporting block or body between the yielding side walls and adapted to expand or separate the side walls to release the cuttingtool, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

8. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a supporting block or body formed with yielding side walls and a receiving socket or recess formed in the inner faces of and between said side walls, said supporting block or body being adapted to be locked up in a printing-form, with a cutting-tool formed with a stem or shank shaped to fit the said recess between the yielding side walls, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting block or body formed with yielding side walls and a recess or socket between the side walls, a sheet-cutting tool adapted to rest in said recess or socket, and a conical-headed screw or screws threaded into the supporting block or body and engaging the inner faces of the yielding side walls, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a supporting block or body having a central kerf or groove cut into one face extending from end to end and nearly to its opposite face, thereby forming yielding side walls, a cutting-tool fitting between the yielding side walls of the supporting block or body, and expanding-screws threaded into the block or body between the yielding side walls, substantially as and for the purpose-set forth.

TALBOT G. DEXTER.

Witnesses:

J. GREEN, WM. E. KNIGHT. 

